“The devil is a kindergartner compared to Jesus and Mary.” So said a friend of Tom’s in college — a friend who later became a renowned theologian.

It’s a great summing up of the devil, and today’s Gospel shows it to be true. Christ faces the devil and commands him with authority. The devil does not stand a chance against him.

There are two great errors in many people’s thinking about the devil. One is to believe that he doesn’t exist.

“It is in his interests to make himself ‘unknown,’” said Pope John Paul II. “Satan has the skill in the world to induce people to deny his existence in the name of rationalism and of every other system of thought which seeks all possible means to avoid recognizing his activity.”

The devil certainly does exist: He is mentioned 211 times in the New Testament, and his existence is affirmed repeatedly in the Catechism of the Catholic Church, which was promulgated in 1995.

But there is a second error many make with regard to the devil: fearing him too much. St. Paul says that God will “not let you be tested beyond your strength.” St. Augustine said, “The devil can bark, but he cannot bite, unless a person lets himself be bitten.”

Think of the threat of the devil the way you think of taking a walk by the street. It is true that there are many cars driving by and that these could do great damage to you if you stepped in front of one. But it would be absurd to live in fear of roads. A few commonsense precautions will prevent you from getting hit. It’s the same with demonic activity. There is no need to live in fear of demons — but one ought to be aware of them and avoid them.

First, understand him. The truth is: The devil does not really care about human beings much at all. He is consumed by hatred of God, not us. But he is in a predicament because he has no power against God. So, instead, he takes delight in doing two things to us: marring the image of God he sees in us, and turning us against God — because he knows this makes God sad.

That is why possessed people in the Gospel act more like beasts than human beings; the devil delights in making them act like beasts instead of human beings. We should avoid those things that mar the dignity of human beings: The seven deadly sins all do that. In our day, the prevalence of pornography sweeps away human innocence and debases human dignity for many people. Violence, particularly the violence of abortion, does so, too.

We should be imitators of Christ in order to encourage the image of God in us. That means placing him as the highest priority in our life, as St. Paul says in the second reading today. It also means going beyond avoiding sin and adopting positive practices that open us to God’s grace.

Pope Paul VI said that the sacraments were the best defense against the devil, along with prayer — especially the Our Father, in which we pray, “Deliver us from the evil one.” That means staying in a state of grace or returning to it quickly through confession. A great practice is to go to Mass even more often than the Sunday obligation and to say the Rosary daily.

“Grace is the decisive defense” against the devil, wrote Pope Paul VI. “The Christian must be militant; he must be strong and vigilant.” But he need not be afraid.

I love this article and shared to to my friends in Christ.Let us keep our hearts burning with the grace of the Lord through fervent unceasing praying.Nothing to be afraid of the devil when we hold on to Mama Mary our spiritual mother.God Bless.

Posted by Lector at Mass on Thursday, Feb, 2, 2012 1:53 PM (EST):

@MariaB: It would be more accurate to say not every trial or burden carried in life eminates from God. The source of temptation is always Satan. One’s trials or burdens may be a result of your own poor choice(s) or someone else’s action impacting you. True, the Lord can use such a burden as a “testing” experience to draw one closer to Him whereby you will then see that it is His grace which is sufficient in all things. Paul’s evangelism, his trials and burdens give evidence to that. Job was specifically tested. Abraham was also tested. Ruth (on the other hand) was not tested but experienced a heavy trial in life not of her own making. Your comment regarding this matter that “misinterpretation of the Scripture is most often seen from Protestant sources” fails to show any relevancy and is an unfair remark. Your argument seems to center upon total submission yet fails to recognize many only come to surrender resulting from Christian growth and spiritual development over time. You trust someone when they prove worthy to be trusted or when the Holy Spirit lays that conviction upon you. The apostles walked with Jesus for three years. They were eyewitnesses to His gospel preaching and His many supernatural miracles. When Jesus was arrested, the apostles were tested —and they all ran away. They did not yet have the conviction of the Holy Spirit since He had not yet come.

Posted by MariaB on Wednesday, Feb, 1, 2012 11:38 PM (EST):

Although I enjoyed reading your article, I feel compelled to point out an error in the representation of what the apostle and saint Paul said. He specifically spoke of “temptation” and not all “tests” or ” burdens” that one might encounter in one’s life. That misinterpretation of the scripture is most often seen from Protestant sources. Catholics view this WORD as literally, no different that we do the miracle of transubstantiation. I think the misinterpretation has led many a person down a misguided path to reject our Lord feeling like He is not listening to their prayers or that they themselves are unworthy of His love or anyone else’s since the may have ‘failed’ in that matter. The real TRUTH is that when we are overwhelmed with ‘tests’ and ‘burdens’ that are beyond our control or abilities, it is the very poignant moments in our life when God is hoping we will submit to Him wholly and fully to be carried through the trial while under His protection or grace. In other words, we would still have to endure the test and/or fail it, and/or endure the ‘burden’ or crumble under it and yet still submit our brokenness to God for healing and recovery and repair. This is a very mystical notion and is often misunderstood by many.

Posted by Lector at Mass on Wednesday, Feb, 1, 2012 2:51 PM (EST):

@Paul Giroux: I think you did the right thing rather than to remain silent. Sometimes people placed in charge of formation groups are poorly taught and are likewise led by those also poorly informed in leadership above them.

Posted by Paul Giroux on Wednesday, Feb, 1, 2012 11:21 AM (EST):

My friend Angel,

It was the leaders of the formation program who imposed The Shack on us.
I was looking for truth, not fiction when I enterred. Suffice it to say,
I was asked to leave after I made my displeasure known.
God Bless

Posted by Lector at Mass on Tuesday, Jan, 31, 2012 8:15 PM (EST):

@Angel E. Ramos: A wooden crucifix is not a sacrament. You’ve been watching too many exorcist movies. A child of God might be tempted by Satan but he has no power to penetrate you because the Lord alone is your shield, your buckler, and your hightower. It’s all there is His word. And for Paul Giroux: The Shack? Really? You need to find more credible reading material.

Posted by Thomas G. Hughes on Monday, Jan, 30, 2012 11:32 PM (EST):

Remember Adam and Eve didn’t committ the 1st SIN!Man’s original sin was the 2nd Sin. Lucifer committed the 1st SIN! Next take a hard look at the Statue of Liberty, which sits in N.Y.Harbor and really represents the Angel of Light, a/k/a Lucifer, put there by the French MASONS!The Masonic Order controls all the major corporations thruout the whole world and they worship satan as the real god! The Smoke of Satan is in the Sanctuary and has to be put out. Thank Almighty GOD that HE will win in the end. Peace, tom hughes DJM

Posted by Angel E. Ramos on Monday, Jan, 30, 2012 9:21 PM (EST):

Beat the devil? A wooden crucifix is one of the sacraments that the devil is scared of. He said so in the book titled “Begone Satan!”.

Posted by Terah James on Monday, Jan, 30, 2012 7:10 PM (EST):

Paul’s letter to the Ephesians tells a believer how to handle spiritual warfare: read about the Armor of the Holy Spirit in Ephesians Chapter 6.

We are told every day, just like dressing, to put on the:
*Helmet of Salvation (monitor our thoughts) and the
*Breastplate of Righteousness (having a heart that is like Jesus, loving, forgiving) and the
*Belt of Truth (which are truths found in the word of God - like the Blessed Mother held what people told her in her heart, we are to hold the Words of God in our hearts, and to ponder them), and the
*Sandals of peace (not hitting people over the head, even with truth but showing them love, walking in peace) and
*Carrying the SHIELD of Faith - everything we know is true, having been revealed to us in the Bible, and
*Carrying the SWORD of the Holy Spirit - which IS the Word of God, found in the Bible. Even Jesus used sacred Scripture to battle the devil. So too, can we.

Every day - dress in the Armor. The devil is not to be feared, but Satan and his demons are to be respected, as worthy foes.

They will try us first with DOUBT - in Genesis, Satan asked Eve: “Did God say?” and with DISCOURAGEMENT, getting our ANGER up, etc. The devil has no new tricks. We are given the tools to battle him = and “He who is in us (the Holy Spirit) is stronger than he who is in the world”, so when we focus on Jesus, we will win because He won already.

The Shack???? Oh my. For anyone thinking The Shack gives insight into God the Father, then everything I wrote above does not apply to you. I met God the Father in the Old Testament. God the Father is amazing. Awesome!

Posted by Paul Giroux on Monday, Jan, 30, 2012 11:32 AM (EST):

I was in a Diaconate formation program. Two books given to us when
we were studying the topic of God the Father were: The Shack and Good
Goats…Bad Sheep??? I won’t disclose the Diocese as there are many good
and faithful Priests and new Deacons. So sad!

Posted by tom on Monday, Jan, 30, 2012 9:27 AM (EST):

I remember going to a bible study years ago where the topic of the evil one dominated the discussion. While I was glad that they recognized the existence of fallen angels, I was sad that they were getting more attention than the power of God and the gift of Jesus. About half way through I had to say something, even though I did not want to hurt anyones feelings I thought their obsession bordered on idolatry. What I said was that “I am hearing more about satan than Jesus tonight and I think that is a mistake. We should acknowledge the existence of the evil one, ask Jesus to protect us from him and leave it alone.” Another couple stated they agreed whole heartedly with me but were to timid to express their beliefs. The women responded by stating she was a catechist and therefore was authorized to teach us such things based on her position of authority in the parish. I commended her for her dedication to the children and quietly said a prayer for her students. Two weeks later I was leading a catechist formation session and in walks the same woman. There was no conflict and the discussion went well, according to the limited ability God has given me. At the end of the session evaluations are handed out and that is where all that attention to the devil reared its ugly head. The lesson learned: when we spend more time thinking of satan than Jesus, we are more likely to act more like the devil than Jesus. The father of liars is our adversary for sure, Jesus is our Savior and model of perfection, Who would you prefer to acknowledge, worship and praise? Its what comes out of our mouths that defile us! God bless and stay safe, always asking God, the Father to keep us from undergoing the test.

Posted by Marguerite on Monday, Jan, 30, 2012 7:55 AM (EST):

The world is under the dominion of Satan and he certainly is powerful. The 20th Century’s horrors underscore the immensity of that evil. The Blessed Mother says that souls are dropping into Hell like leaves from a tree. The Lord’s sufferings from the Garden of Getheseme to the Cross could not be borne by anyone but God to release us from the bondage of sin. It is a battle and souls are being lost without even knowing it.

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